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NEWS
| October 15, 2004
Are
We There Yet?
The latest plan for downtown Arlington
includes a starring role for UTA
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| Courtesy Ardeshir Anjomani |
| Boulder, CO. An example of the sidewalk
and shopping concept some cite. |
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By Marti
Harvey
The Shorthorn Staff
First it was the Downtown Arlington Urban Design Study in 1995,
then the Commercial Planning Study in 1998, the Arlington 2025 plan
in 2003 and the I-30 Three Bridges Corridor Plan in 2004.
Arlington likes to study itself.
Now the Downtown Arlington Unified Master Plan is under the microscope
and Councilwoman Lana Wolff says it’s time to act.
“We’ve been planning for years, and you can keep planning
until the cows come home,” she said. “Now it’s
time to stop planning and start implementing.”
Last week the steering committee of the Central Arlington Initiative,
a group studying downtown development, took a step toward that implementation.
Quoting from a five-year strategic plan prepared by John Fregonese
of Fregonese Calthorpe Associates, the committee recommended “concentrating
retail along Main, Center, Abram, Pecan, Oak and Front streets ...
to actively promote the downtown as a gathering place for students
and university staff.”
The committee is accepting public comments and will make a final
decision on implementing the project by Nov. 23.
The plan paints a picture of narrower streets with diagonal parking
and wide, well-used, well-lit sidewalks lined with trees, stores
topped with lofts for urban housing and entertainment within walking
distance for downtown residents, including students.
“It could be like a funky little bohemian–looking area,”
Wolff said. “Imagine a place where you could walk from the
campus and have coffee at a sidewalk café or check out the
art galleries and antique stores next to the bookstore. You could
go to restaurants. All would be close enough to walk to.”
Some students think it’s just what the campus needs.
“That idea sounds like a place I could walk to and have lunch
in a real restaurant or shop in a nice retro shop,” English
sophomore Whitley Benjamin said. “I would probably spend more
money here.”
Engineering junior Sangkho Ratanassamay would like to see a small
grocery store or farmers market.
“There is no store close by so it would be more convenient
for me instead of going to Wal-Mart,” he said. “A sandwich
shop would be nice, too.”
While shopping is important, students contacted want to see some
entertainment venues.
“When I first came here, I did not have a car,” said
Bhavin Patel, an urban planning graduate student. “I never
did anything. Now that I have a car, I go to the West End or Irving
or Fort Worth, other places besides here in Arlington.”
Political science junior Charles Nobles said he likes Cowboys Dancehall
in east Arlington but might go downtown provided it gave him a reason.
“I would hang out near campus if there was a place like that
to go dance or even just to hear music,” he said. “We
really just want to hang out with our friends and relax.”
He said that as more on-campus housing is built — and with
no mass transit — downtown development could serve the needs
of a growing student population. Students bring a lot of money into
the economy, he said, and city leaders should listen to what they
have to say.
Of the 25,000 students enrolled, about 13 percent live on campus,
and they spend an average of $67 per week on groceries. Students
eat out four times a week to the tune of more than $1 million a
month.
“You can be sure a lot of it’s not being spent here,”
said Ardeshir Anjomani, an urban and public affairs professor. “It
goes to other areas that offer more.”
UTA students also spend more than $2.5 million a month on clothes
and more than $650,000 on music.
“Is someone with a music store listening?” Wolff said.
Project planners intend to encourage restaurants, unique apparel,
specialty gifts, home furnishings and sports bars to move into the
area by offering development assistance.
Ratanassamay wondered if higher taxes would be part of the equation.
Wolff said no.
The mechanism to fund this plan began five years ago when the tax
incremental financing district, known as the Arlington Tax Increment
Reinvestment Zone Number One, was created. Since then, the TIF district
has collected about $1.8 million to use toward downtown development,as
stated in Fregonese’s five-year strategic plan.
Through the district, incremental tax revenue increases return to
the area in the form of property improvements and development assistance.
In other words, as the property is worth more and pays more in taxes,
those additional taxes go to improvements such as streetscapes and
storefront enhancements.
Now that the TIF district has some money in the bank, the plan could
be ready to begin implementing sometime next year.
“This is one of the most ambitious projects we’ve ever
had to reclaim downtown,” Wolff said.
Others agree but don’t think it’s ambitious enough.
Anjomani said that in addition to a five-year plan, the city needs
a long-range plan.
“The development of a commercial gateway, science and research,
cultural and entertainment districts would give people a reason
to come to Arlington and then downtown,” he said. “It
will bring people from the higher-income areas, encouraging them
to come to Arlington for jobs and entertainment rather than leaving.”
Anjomani thinks it would take about 30 years to complete his vision.
“But I guess we have to take what we can get,” he said.
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